Can't Fight This Feeling
by BlueSpottedDog
Summary: They tried to hide it, and fight it but the feeling just wouldn't go away!


**Title: Can't Fight This Feeling  
****Author: BlueSpottedDog  
Summary: They tried to hide it, and fight it, but the feeling would not go away!  
********Spoilers: Merlin Season 1  
********Disclaimer: BBC owns Merlin. I wish I could have Colin and Bradley as toys though :)**

**Ok so I heard about this song while reading another fanfic, it was used as a lyric. So I checked it out and found out that Finn sung it on Glee. So I have been listening to it non stop and yesterday I had a brainwave and this is the result. So if it's any good, can you review? Pretty please! :)**

**--**

_I can't fight this feeling any longer  
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow._

Arthur smacked his head on the window. 'Damn you Merlin!' Arthur was afraid to admit it, but he had fallen in love with his idiot of a manservant. He had tried ignoring him for a day, but that had just made it worse and he had to see him so badly the next day. Merlin was getting a little freaked out. But Arthur wasn't about to tell him. That was just plain stupid.

_What started out as friendship, has grown stronger  
I only wish I had the strength to let it show, I tell myself I can't hold out forever._

That had been friends for over two years now, certainly a change from when they first meet. Arthur enjoyed Merlin's company and Merlin had made the Prince slightly less arrogant. But they both knew that their friendship was really deep. They would die for each other and seeing the other injured broke their heart. They cared deeply for each other. That was why Arthur didn't even notice that he loved Merlin, at least, not straight away. Once he did notice though, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. But he couldn't do it. He wasn't strong enough.

_I said there is no reason for my fear  
Cause I feel so secure when we're together_

Arthur had never really felt safe. Especially when he was bitten by the Questing Beast. But nowadays whenever Merlin was there, Arthur felt extremely safe. It was really worrying, especially since after he told Morgana, she had told his father and now everywhere Arthur went, Merlin went too, no matter how dangerous the quest was. He still felt safe, but he worried about Merlin. He wasn't very bright and he might be magic, but that doesn't mean he's immune from being injured or killed.

_You give my life direction  
You make everything so clear_

But despite all of this, Merlin kept telling Arthur that he was going to be a fantastic king, a fair and just king.. When Morgana used to tell him that, he'd just laugh. His future was all cloudy then, except for being king. But now Arthur knew what he wanted. He wanted to be king, with Merlin by his side, never leaving him. That was his future. He knew that. Especially after Merlin brought up the _'You and I are destiny' _line.

_And even as I wander  
I'm keeping you in sight._

Pacing and long walks helped Arthur during times like this. He opted for the long walk. The air was cool that night, which was a refresher from the hot summer days. Walking usually helped clear his mind, but this time, it seemed that Merlin was stuck in his brain. While walking out towards the forest, Arthur swore he saw Merlin out of the corner of his eye, smiling goofily at him, but when he turned, there was nothing. Now he was imagining him everywhere. This was definitely not some stupid little crush.

_You're a candle in the window  
On a cold, dark winters night  
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might._

While walking Arthur thought back to the time when Merlin had been poisoned and he went to get the flower to cure him. He had been almost killed that day, but all he could think about was getting that flower. Then he saw the light. Merlin told him not long ago that that was actually produced by him, by his magic. Arthur had joked about how Merlin was his candle. Merlin had just shaken his head and told him that he just had to save him. But every time he went to bed now, just before he went to sleep, Arthur saw the same blue light bobbing by his window.

_And I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for_

Merlin thought the Great Dragon was toying with his mind again. It couldn't be right. There was no way in hell that _he_ could be in love with _him_! Arthur was an arrogant prat and Merlin couldn't even fathom the thought that he could love _him_! This was Arthur we were talking about. The same Arthur who tried to kill Merlin when he first came. _He apologised for that though. _The same Arthur who almost killed himself by sacrificing himself for Merlin. _He was sacrificing himself for you, you great idiot! _The same Arthur who, no matter how tired he was, would still poke fun at Merlin. _He does it to keep the conversation going. _The same Arthur who, despite all his flaws, Merlin loved immensely. 'Damn you Arthur!'

_It's time to bring this ship into the shore  
And throw away the oars, forever._

Merlin sighed. He couldn't deny it. It was just too obvious. He had fallen for the arrogant prince. And he was pretty damn sure that everyone could tell. But was he going to tell Arthur? In a million bloody years! It had taken him a year and a half just to tell him about his magic. This secret was staying secret. He wasn't letting Morgana or Gwen weasel this one out of him, especially since they would go straight to Arthur and tell him that his manservant was madly in love with him. Oh yes, that would make things _really_ awkward!

_Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for_

Even if it was weird and wrong, Merlin had to admit that it had helped him grow. Around Arthur Merlin had become stronger, both physically and mentally and he became less clumsy. Arthur was proud of him too. That was the best part. He loved it when Arthur was proud of him, or even nice to him. That was what first brought up the topic of possibly loving Arthur. And he couldn't fight it anymore.

_And if I have to crawl upon the floor  
Come crashing through your door  
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore_

One time that Merlin remembered distinctly was the first time that Arthur appeared to care for him deeply.

_Merlin was on his hands and knees crawling around, trying to find Arthur's other sock. It eventually appeared under Arthur's bed. How it got there was a question, but when Merlin got back up again and walked back over to the table, his question was answered. He had just cleaned and laid out Arthur's socks on the table when he realised one was missing. Now after finding it, another one had disappeared. He turned to Arthur who was smirking widely at him. 'Did you put this sock under your bed?' _

'_Why would I do that? Do I _look_ like a sock thief? Sometimes I think you get stupider every day Merlin.' Merlin shook his head and put the sock back on the table. He walked back over to the bed and bent down. The sock wasn't under there. He sighed and got back on his hands and knees and began crawling around Arthur's room. He saw a flash of white under one of the seats and crawled quickly over there. Before he could reach the chair though, he had to stop. His leg was in an immense amount of pain. _

_He sat down to look at his leg and gasped when he saw a large cut and blood dripping down his leg. Arthur saw Merlin stop and got up to investigate. He stopped in front of Merlin, his hands on his hips. 'Why have you- oh god!' Arthur pulled off his tunic and quickly tied it around Merlin's leg. 'We have to get you to Gaius!' Arthur helped Merlin to his feet and headed to the door which was a slow process considering Merlin was limping._

_Arthur stopped at the door and turned to Merlin. 'Get on my back!' 'What?' Merlin asked, clearly bewildered. 'Get on my back; I'm going to carry you!' Merlin laughed slightly and climbed onto Arthur's back. Arthur adjusted Merlin's weight before opening the door and rushing down the corridor._

Once they had got to Gaius, Arthur had sat beside him until he was fixed up and able to walk properly again. He even missed one of his trainings, it had made Uther furious.

_My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you  
I've been running round in circles in my mind_

Not much crossed Merlin's mind these days. His mind appeared to be one track, since he thought about Arthur for about 90% of the day. The rest was magic, Gaius, Uther, Camelot and the rest of his friends. He was even thinking about Arthur while he was with him, if you call being ordered to muck out the stables, clean his socks, clean his armour and dress him, being with him. The strangest part was the day that Arthur ignored him. He thought he had done something wrong. He found his orders taped to his bedroom door and even when he saw Arthur, they never spoke a word. Then the next day Arthur had been so eager to talk to him that he had rushed into his room during the early hours and woke him, just so they could talk about the lack of rain.

_And it always seems that I'm following you, girl  
Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find_

Another strange time had been when Uther had called on him personally, just to tell him that he had to go on every quest/walk/fight with Arthur. Apparently Arthur had told Morgana, who told Uther that he felt safer with Merlin around. So that's how Merlin got dragged even deeper into his friendship with Arthur, since they had to spend most of their time together. There were perks of course, since Merlin had found many new places in the forest where he could just relax for a few hours. He had also found a place that he and Arthur went to when they just needed to be near each other. They would lie on the ground, shoulders touching, hands brushing and just think.

_And even as I wander I'm keeping you in sight  
You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night  
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might _

Arthur found himself wandering to the place where he spent a lot of his time. It was a secluded area, not much bigger then his bedroom. He even bought Merlin here, just to be near him. Arthur remembered one time that he cemented it into his brain that he loved Merlin.

_The pair walked silently, both knowing where they were going. They reached the clearing and glanced at each other. Arthur was grinning and Merlin was smiling dazedly. Arthur laid down first, lying near one of the trees instead of out in the middle of the field like usually. Merlin followed suit, lying down next to Arthur. Their shoulders brushed liked usual and so did their hands. They had done this hundreds of times and Arthur wanted to try something. Something he had been curious about for a while. He slipped his hand into Merlin's and waited. Seconds later fingers curled through his own and a sigh came from Merlin. Arthur moved his head to look at him and ended up looking straight into Merlin's eyes. They spent the next hour like that before Merlin got up and they headed back, as if it had never happened._

But Arthur had never forgotten. That day had proved just how close they had become.

_And I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for_

Arthur realised that he had to tell Merlin. He couldn't just hide it. Especially since ever since that day, they had held hands every time they went out there. Like it was easy. But every time it happened Arthur realised how hard it was. He could be himself around Merlin, but he couldn't go public with him. He had to keep up appearances around the others. Especially his father. He would kill Merlin, despite how much Arthur fought against it.

He started heading back, he realised that it was almost pitch black. It felt like it took forever to walk back, making Arthur twice as nervous. He reached Gaius' chamber quickly but froze outside Merlin's door. He realised he couldn't just walk in there. He had to have a plan.

_It's time to bring this ship into the shore  
And throw away the oars, forever_

Merlin realised that the Dragon had been talking to him, at least, for a while anyway. The Dragon had pushed the hidden feelings to the surface, because he knew that that would make Merlin sit up and take notice. And it did. But after the initial shock settled, fear arose. How was he going to keep up his appearance if he loved the Prince? It wasn't like he could just not be around him. He was his manservant after all. He had to tell him. That's all there was to it.

_Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for_

The knock on his door startled Merlin. Who would come and see him at this hour? It was about ten at night, which meant he should be sleeping. But someone else wasn't sleeping either. He got up and opened the door. His eyes widened when he saw Arthur standing in the doorway, his hand raised ready to knock again. 'A-Arthur? What are you doing it? It's late!'

_And if I have to crawl upon the floor  
Come crushing through your door_

'I can't fight this feeling anymore.' Merlin looked confused. 'What?' 'You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night.' Arthur realised he was confusing Merlin. 'Sorry…it's just…there's something I have to tell you.' Merlin looked less confused and more scared now. 'There's something I have to tell you too.' 'You go first.' Merlin shook his head. 'Please, go first. I don't want to tell you, but I have to.'

Arthur nodded and stepped past Merlin and shut the door. 'I've been thinking for the last four hours, to the point where my head has started to hurt. And I can't hide this feeling anymore.' Merlin waited but Arthur appeared to have stopped talking. He was about to ask what feeling when two hands grabbed his face and lips crashed down on his. Shock was the first thing that went through his brain, until he worked out exactly what was happening. Before he could do anything though, Arthur pulled away. 'I love you Merlin.'

Arthur waited as Merlin digested the news and since the look of shock had been replaced by a huge grin, Arthur guessed he worked out what Merlin was going to tell him. 'You know Arthur, it's really quite wrong for a master to love his servant. Especially a man. But it's a secret I'm willing to keep since, you know, I love you too and all.' Arthur laughed a little. 'That's the worst love confession I have ever heard!' 'And yours was any better? First you confused me with all these lines, and then you kissed me and then you told me you loved me. How is that better?'

'Obviously you can't see a good love confession when it bites you on the nose!' 'And you can't take a hint!' Arthur paused. 'Wait…what?' 'Remember that time you held my hand and I held yours in the forest? That was the hint you idiot!' Merlin shook his head. 'I think I'm making you stupider!' Arthur smiled. 'You probably are, but whatever you are doing, it's fantastic, so keep doing it!' Merlin cocked his head to the side and smiled goofily. 'You mean this?' Arthur's knees were going weak. 'Yeah, being cute and all. Anyway, you need to go to bed. I want you in my chambers bright and early to clean my armour! I have a quest tomorrow.'

Merlin stopped smiling and frowned. 'Oh and you'll need to muck out the stables. And find my missing sock!' 'What missing sock?' 'The one I can't find you dimwit! Now goodnight!' Arthur turned, opened the door and walked off. Merlin just stood there in shock. Did he imagine that, or did it all actually happen? Maybe he just needed sleep. Merlin just shook his head and went to bed.

The next morning a note was slid under his door. He almost fell over it while getting dressed. He picked it up and opened it.

_I did your chores, my armour's clean and I found my sock. I just want you to meet me at the stables. I didn't get to finish my kiss last night._

_Love,_

_Arthur_

The note fell to the floor and Merlin flew out of his room and out to the stables. Gaius watched Merlin leave and walked into Merlin's room. He found the note and read it. 'About time! I thought they'd _never_ get their act together!'

_Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore._

_--_

**Reviews = Love. And a cookie. With chocolate chips. And a glass of milk! :)**


End file.
